I can’t say that on this page you’re going to find anything of substance necessarily, but I try to post one or two monumental findings a month. You’ll find that this page ranges anywhere from awe-exciting photos I’ve found, to tattoos I like, to a video or four. It’s a collection, so to speak, of the things I find online that interest me. This blog is similar, but in a more educational genre, where as my tumblr is strickly fun-induced media.

2009 was a great year for music and cd releases, especially as the year was wrapping up to an end. Now that it’s officially 2010 and we have a whole new year of music to look forward to (and we hope that it’s good), here is a list of ten albums released in ’09 that I really enjoyed. These are in no particular order, except for, of course, Brand New really is my number one top pick… but that’s extremely impartial (it’s my favorite band – see blogs below).

I’ve certainly never lived in the country, but I’ve never lived in anything bigger than a larger town. From Signal Mountain, TN to Greenwood, SC to Anderson, SC to current town choice of Rock Hill, SC, nothing has ever consisted of skyscrapers and one-way streets. In towns like Columbia and Charleston, though I love them both for their varying array of atmospheric selections, I find myself often overwhelmed with traffic, parking, directions, street names, etc. People are everywhere, especially on the tail-end of my car, and the pressure at times, makes me one grumpy visitor.

I’ve found the same to always be true of Charlotte, NC. Every trip, though full of fun and excitement, has always been a planned trip, with a heavy debate as to who was going to drive and who was going to navigate, and this is only after the debate on where we are even going in the first place, with a list of backup plans on hand.

Though it has only ever been a 30-45 minute journey from the center of Rock Hill, it’s never to be taken lightly. Experiences I’ve had alone, such as finding the police station and courtroom to appeal the traffic ticket I received while lost on my second ever trip to the city, have been exhausting and made me want to visit as little as possible. Familiar places, such as Amos’ Southend, Tremont Music Hall, and the SPCA, ease my worries and anxieties a bit more, and they always deliver a stellar dose of entertainment.

Lately, I’ve found myself a frequent resident, yes, resident, of Charlotte. I stay here often with my amazing boyfriend, Josh. This helps minimize trips to and fro to all the job interviews I’ve had to travel miles and miles to appear for, none successfully, to my dismay (although I’m very knowledgeable on the scam artists in town now). In the meantime, I’ve taken the time to discover the town on my own.

I love the architecture and buildings for one. All the new housing is very sleek and modern, which I adore. With Ikea just a few exits up the road, I’m beyond anxious to be able to move up here and furnish a place of my own. The places are beautiful and I find myself almost wrecking as I drive, because I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from the favorites that I so often pass.

Today I enjoyed a trip to Trader Joe’s, a local grocery store full of organic, healthy foods, very similar to that of an Earth Fare. Their website is perfect for feeding the vegetarian in your life, with recipes and food choice guides all available on their website. My $45 journey for groceries will be transformed into several new, exciting recipes for dinner over the next few nights.

The reasons I’m learning to love and embrace the culture and atmosphere of Charlotte continues to grow, as does my curiosity, desire to reside downtown, and my prospects of working in such a large city. Wish me luck in my endeavors, and in the meantime, enjoy with me my quest of Charlotte, NC.

The Kindle started the trend of tablets. Books became downloadable, and traveling with your favorite reads, easy. The need for a bookstore for you urgent need of material, diminished. But as far as a success, it really wasn’t. Books were too expensive, and Kindle limited itself to books and books alone. And so, technology transgresses.

Another failure, the success of magazines. We find ourselves reading them, mainly for sports, and the occasional recipe or home improvement, but on the full scale of the issue, magazines just aren’t as popular as they were in past years. They find themselves struggling, and thus, the creation of informer magazines, such as the Enquirer, dishing out the scoop on top celebrities, true or not, to gain readers attention and sell their product. It might not be quality, but it’s probably read more often than most other reading material sitting on the checkout shelves of your favorite shopping location.

Magazines are striking for a comeback, in hopes for a relationship with a brand that never seems to fail when it comes to striking out big in the technological market: Apple. Nicknamed the “Tablet of Newspaper Salvation”, print media alike is banking on big results from the February 2010 release of Apple’s Mac Tablet (this name, as well as others, patented or not, have not been released as the official name of the product). Apple has not agreed to this engagement with print media, but the idea is certainly on the rise. What would be the outcome? Sports Illustrated provides a visual of their plan:

Apple might just become the primary e-book reader, as well as an effective tool for any number of possibilities with the new device. The downside being that over 88% of survey takers believe that bookstores worldwide will lose out from the growth in digital sales, and this equally means that the success of the product will also decrease the amount of hardback and paperback copy sales that bookstores would receive.

I hope Apple doesn’t accidentally turn into the new Wal-Mart monopoly… But their products truly can be the lead into the future of human capabilities, specifically on the go, in the technology field. Results of integration, such as what this relationship would mean for magazines and Apple, is where we are headed. In turn, though, we are neglecting, and therefore sacrificing, our material history. Basically, our high values of “collectable” items, actual physical remnants of our history. Where the Egyptians left pyramids, the cavemen left stone tools, and the city of Atlantis gave us hopes of dreams of an undiscovered civilization full of treasure and history… We will be leaving screens and buttons, which probably, can’t withstand the test of time. Are we eliminating proof of our existence in an effort to “advance”?

To learn more about Apple’s product release in February 2010, here is a great link that covers the topic from start to finish and even provides the leaked specifications of the device. It’s a beauty.

Today, life is run via the internet. It is our ongoing and ever expanding source of all things, human, and non. It is our never ending library, resource center, job board, cookbook, contact system… It is who we are, and as much as we try to deny it, the internet truly defines who we are as a person. It connects us all, through our choice of links, and it is stronger than others, based on our level of expertise and dedication to it. And we get out of it what we put into it, as is life.

For those who read this blog, you know that I am working hard to find a new job, after a bit of poor luck. It happens in the job world. It’s not the greatest time to try to get on our feet, but we do the best we can with what we have available. Since, I do have a background in marketing, I know the importance, although many may scoff, at social networking. It is a lot more essential than many give it credit for… Just so you all many know a bit more about me, get on a more personal level, or connect because you are into social marketing as well, feel free to wise up about who writes these snippets you so often read, or are just discovering. 😉